COVID-19 Update for April 3, 2020 – A Look at the U.S

Across the United States

As Canada’s most important economic partner, what’s happening in the United States can have significant impact on this side of the border. Currently, the US has over 210,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Responses to the pandemic vary from state to state. Below is an overview of measures taken to date.

If you or your organization require more details around measures announced to date in a particular state, the National Governors Association provides an in-depth, regularly updated, one-stop breakdown of actions in every state.

Federal measures

• Border restrictions – The US has agreements with both Canada and Mexico to limit non-essential travel between countries. This applies to tourism and recreational travel. Trucking and supply chains are largely exempt from the restrictions.
• Financial help – Eligible US taxpayers can receive an economic payment of up to $1,200 / individual or $2,400 for married couples, plus $500 per child. That full amount is only provided to applicants with a gross income less than $75,000 or $150,000 for married couples. For those with higher incomes, payment is reduced by $5 for every $100 above the thresholds.
• Tax deadlines – US Tax Day has been delayed from April 15 until July 15. Federal income taxes do not need to be filed until July 15; no other action needs to be taken to qualify for this new deadline. However, the new date is only applicable to federal taxes, not state taxes.

State by state measures

• Non-essential business restrictions: While state and local level governments have the ability to designate what is and is not essential, they are largely informed by federal guidelines.
• Non-essential businesses are closed in: Alabama, Alaska, California, Colorado, Comnnecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.
• Public gathering restrictions: States vary from recommendations to stay home to binding restrictions on the size of gatherings (similar to Canadian provinces), and in some states, full stay-at-home orders.
• Stay home or shelter-in-place orders: Alabama (Birmingham only), Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri (only 14 issued at the local level including Kansas City and St. Louis), Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma (only 5 issued at the local level including Oklahoma City and Tulsa), Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina (only at the local level in Charleston and Columbia), Tennessee, Texas (left to the local level, 37 counties have issued so far), Utah (Salt Lake County and Summit County only), Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
• School closures: All 50 states now have state-wide school closures.
• Emergency declarations: All 50 states now have emergency declarations regarding COVID-19.
• Travel restrictions: Just under half of the states – 23 so far – have issued domestic travel restrictions either by executive order or as a recommendation.
• Travel restrictions: Alaska (executive order), Arkansas (recommendation), Connecticut (recommendation), Delaware (executive order), Florida (executive order), Hawaii (executive order), Kansas (executive order), Kentucky (executive order), Maryland (recommendation), Massachusetts (recommendation), Montana (executive order), Nebraska (recommendation), Nevada (recommendation), New Mexico (executive order), North Dakota (executive order), Oklahoma (executive order), Rhode Island (executive order), South Carolina (executive order), Texas (executive order), Vermont (executive order), Virginia (recommendation), West Virginia (executive order), Wisconsin (recommendation).

The Enterprise Team